Trio of Eagles picked for Pro Bowl

Tuesday

The NFL's best players descended upon Hawaii at the end of last January for the Pro Bowl.

LeSean McCoy was not among them. Despite piling up more than 1,600 yards from scrimmage, the Eagles running back was not a chosen one.

On Tuesday, he learned that he would join the league's best. McCoy was named a Pro Bowl starter for the NFC squad along with teammates Jason Babin and Jason Peters.

"It drove me," said McCoy of last year's apparent snub. "I worked so hard to get to the Pro Bowl and I thought I would make it, so that was definitely motivation."

Teams for both the NFC and AFC were announced, and the San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots tied for the most representatives with eight apiece. The defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers had seven players picked. The game will be played Jan. 29 in Honolulu.

Babin, who has 18 sacks from his defensive end position, was selected for the second straight season. He made it last year when he accumulated 12˝ sacks for the Titans, but signed a five-year free agent deal with Philly in the offseason.

"To be selected again means a lot," said Babin. "I felt I had to perform. A new contract, a new city, I'm pleased."

Peters, an offensive tackle, was picked to his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl, which ties him with the Browns' Joe Thomas for the longest streak among NFL tackles.

This will be Peters' third straight Pro Bowl as an Eagle, which makes him just the second tackle in team history to make three in a row. He joins Frank Kilroy (1953-55) as the other to do it. Also, Peters tied Tra Thomas (2002-03, 2005), Bob Brown (1966-67, 1969) and Kilroy for the most appearances ever by an Eagles tackle.

The previous two Pro Bowl trips for Peters came as a member of the Buffalo Bills.

The Eagles acquired him in a trade with Buffalo during the 2009 offseason and he has started 40 games for them.

This year, he has helped pave the way for the NFC's leading rusher and has been an important piece on a line that has allowed just 30 sacks this year, which are the team's third-fewest since sacks became an official stat in 1982.

McCoy, a second round draft pick out of the University of Pittsburgh, recognized his teammates, particularly his line, as a big reason why he was honored with his first Pro Bowl.

"I work hard for this stuff, to be one of the better players in this conference, but it's a compliment to my teammates and everybody that pushed me," he said. "Everybody helped me reach this accomplishment. I think of all the good running backs in this league, and can call myself one of them now. All the hard work paid off. I always read about (Minnesota's) Adrian Peterson and (San Francisco's) Frank Gore and I can now say I'm one of those guys."

McCoy has set records and leads the league in touchdowns (20) and rushing touchdowns (17), while becoming the first Eagle ever to score in nine straight games. His 1,309 rushing yards rank second in the NFL behind Maurice Jones-Drew (1,437), who plays in the AFC for the Jaguars. Also, McCoy has amassed a league-leading 102 first downs and 48 rushes of 10-plus yards. He has surrendered just one fumble all season, despite ranking fourth in the NFL in rushes (273), offensive touches (321) and scrimmage yards (1,624).

Just 23, McCoy said he will work to continue to get better, so this isn't just a one-and-done type season.

It was that kind of thinking that spurred Babin. A classic late bloomer, Babin didn't make his first Pro Bowl until he was 30. Now 31, he felt some added pressure to prove that last year wasn't an aberration.

"Obviously making it the first time at my age, I wanted to show I wasn't a one-hit wonder, a one-trick pony, that it wasn't a fluke and that I could do it again next year," he said. "I felt even more pressure."

Babin ranks second in the NFL in 2011 in sacks this season, trailing only the Viking's Jared Allen (18.5), and contributing to a relentless Eagles pass-rush that sits atop the NFL with 49 sacks. His sack total this year is currently tied for the third-most ever by an Eagle, trailing only Reggie White (21.0 in 1987) and Clyde Simmons (19.0 in 1992). Only 16 players in NFL history have ever amassed more in a single season.

Prior to his last 31 games, in which he has recorded 30˝ sacks, Babin had registered just 17.5 sacks in 66 games.

"If I was to hindsight it, maybe I didn't have the same work ethic or desire early in my career," said Babin. "Maybe there were a few thing I had to go through to get to this point in my career."

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